I"m terribly sorry for being so inactive for the last weeks despite what I have said before. There are many reasons behind it, like constant power outage every 2 PM (the time I get home from campus) or entirely losing internet connection because I can"t pay the package. However, the fact that I haven"t uploaded anything still doesn"t change.
In exchange for losing the civilization known as the Internet, I gained a little bit of something called story ideas. If you don"t know it, I write one-shots and short stories that I posted here in RTD. It"s called MOSS. Please pay it a visit! (Shameless Advertis.e.m.e.nt)
This chapter is brought to you by our translator, translation checker, editor, and proofreader in that order.
Mabbo, Fairy, Schwarz13, Quantum Nekomata
Enjoy~
18. Megane-kun, Reunion with Older Sister
After silently firing my arrows, Joseph who was mumbling to himself gave out a comment that I cannot ignore.
「Megane-kun. You hunted a redbear, right?」
…Nn? He sure has a sharp ear.
「What are you talking about? 」
「Unlike the Adventurer"s Guild, the Hunter"s Guild is small. Rumors will spread as soon as something happened.」
Aah, is that so. Since the products that his store deals with are mainly hunting gear, he may have a kind of partnership with the Hunter"s Guild. If that is the case, then it"s no wonder the information is fast to travel.
「The adventurer I accompanied did her best. I only tagged along behind her.」
「Really? What about the traces of the uselessly trimmed fur, despite having no scar of those trims?」
Oh, so the information has gone that far.
「There"s also a little something too~ From the damage on the furs~ Why is there a trace of something long… on the redbear that delivered the fatal wound?」
…Hou?
I look over my shoulder then stare at the drag queen ossan who"s been grinning.
「Where did you hear that?」
In order to reveal the true motive behind that statement, I revealed thus;
「I had dismantled in a way such that no one will be able to find out what had dealt the fatal blow.」
「Ara, is that so. You must"ve been really careful.」
「Or was that some sort of a leading question?」
「Half of it」
I see. So half of it is just a guess.
「And the other half?」
「Foolish question. Megane-kun, I"ve been observing your ability, you know?」
Just a mere redbear won"t stand against you, or so he hinted. Joseph laughed as if he was there watching the scene. His lipstick is so red it becomes venomous.
「How many arrows did you use?」
「Three」
「Ara, is that so. It"s considerably less than I expected. So, your skill with bows are good, but you"ve also used to actual battles, huh~」
Well, before that.
「It"s not like I"ll admit I"ve hunted a redbear, though.」
「Hu~m? Well, shall we just leave it like that?」
Is he just trying to make small talk, or is he trying to get something out from me? It"s a little hard to tell when this ossan just keeps smiling. …Should I make this the last time I visit his shop? It"ll be troublesome if he digs something out even more than this.
「Hey, hey? Rather than that, how about having dinner together with me?」
…I feel a foreign danger I"ve never experienced before that that is neither malice, nor hostility, nor bloodthirst, from this drag queen ossan.
.
As I put an end to my practice and return to the lodging, Laila is standing in front of it.
「—-Oi, wait up! Why are you running away!?」
Tsk, I was caught off guard. When I turned on the corner from the back alley, this girl was right just right before me. How could such an encounter be even possible? I reflexively turned around and tried to escape, but, of course, I was busted.
「Oh, so you were there. I didn"t notice.」
「That"s a lie! Our eyes met, right!? And you avert them as soon as they met, didn"t you!?」
Yeah, well, it"s exactly like that so I can"t refute.
「Sorry. Frankly speaking, I think it"s because I don"t want to a.s.sociate with you too much.」
「That was really frank, hey! I"m surprised! …Eh, wait! I was really surprised you know!」
Contrary to my expectations, Laila was actually surprised. Though I think that was quite an appropriate judgment.
「Then, if you were to excuse me~」
「No, stand right there! What makes you think that I"ll let you go with this flow of conversation!? …Sure I was a little bit shocked and uneasy after receiving this kind of deceptive treatment from you, but just wait up for a sec!」
So she"s really shocked.
Laila patted her chest then repeated something along 「At any rate, wait, just, wait」.
Honestly, I don"t want to wait, but if I leave her as is, then she will surely chase me to my room.
「You still have a business with me?」
I don"t want to wait in silence either, so I give her a wake-up call so I could listen to what she has to say.
「…I still can"t accept it, but fine.」
Though the feeling of being dumbfounded appears in her face and att.i.tude, Laila speaks of the main subject.
「I came to tell you that Horun-oneesama has returned.」
Aah, is that so. So she has finally returned.
「Where"s she now?」
「She"s drinking in the Adventurer"s Guild」
Is that so.
It"s still past afternoon, so it must be crowded inside the guild. Additionally, it"ll get even more packed from evening until night, since the adventurers who went out to do their quest will be returning from now on. Horun must be with her companions anyway, she won"t have time to talk with me right now.
If that"s the case, let"s meet her later. There"s no real reason that we have to meet right away.
「Laila, I want to make a request to you.」
「To me whom you don"t want to meet?」
「Yeah. To you whom I don"t want to meet.」
「…Megane, your mental fort.i.tude is quite strong huh. 」
「I"ve been told that. Rather than that, it"s about my request.」
I"d hope you to bring Horun to this lodging tomorrow noon.
When I told her that, she goes 「Eeh, but Megane, you don"t want to meet with me, don"t you~? And despite that, you"re giving me a request~」 complained, I leave her be then returned back to the lodge.
「I"ll say this first, I"m older than you, Megane!」
She gives such a sharp parting remark that I can"t tell if there"s a meaning behind it or not then took her leave.
.
And then, the day after.
I spent the whole morning doing random stuff, then return to the lodge when noon comes.
—Finally, I accomplished my reunion with Sister after two years of not seeing each other.
「Nn?」
Bright tecolored hair, and a pair of olive brown eyes. Her color scheme is the opposite of mine, where I have hair close to black and an amber colored pair of eyes. Her hair that was as short as mine two years ago became longer than before. But, like me, she"s still indifferent with her hair. She let it grows artlessly that both of its sides are curving upward.
U~n.
My image of her remains the same whereby she dashed out from our small village, ate what she found in the ground, and made her stomach upset.
As expected, my sister whom I had not met in two years has matured for the last two years. She is wearing a worn out leather armor and has a sword on her waist. No matter how I look at her, she gave an image of a competent adventurer.. If I have to say, she also has the atmosphere of the talented.
Horun who has come by my room crossed her arm then tilted her neck and looked at me.
「…Eh, who is he again? I think I"ve seen him before.」
I bet.
I"m your brother after all.
I could recognize her at first glance, but, apparently, she can"t tell that it"s me. Well, my sis never cared for details nor anything in general, she has the caliber of big-shots that she"ll only notice something eye-catching.
Her look has matured, but what is inside didn"t change that much.
TLN: Horun is talking to someone else besides Eil.